Life Bulletin -- Summer 2006
Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven . . . And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:3, 5 NIV
Lutherans For Life of Illinois
Our Mission
The mission of Lutherans For Life
is to witness to the sanctity of human life through education based on the Word of God.
Board of Directors
President -- Corinne Thomley
Secretary -- Carol Stronsinski
Treasurer -- Brian Umbach
Spiritual Advisor -- Rev. A. Schmidt
Hon Board Member -- Diane Schroeder
Vice-President -- Joyce Fassig
Video Library -- Pat Garbe
Essay Contest -- Sandy Goss
Board Member -- Allan Benson
Board Member -- Donna Benson
Board Member -- Jeanne Strubbe
Please address any letters of inquiry or information to: Corrine Thomley (email)
or
Life Bulletin
c/o Lutherans For Life
408 Price
Mattoon, IL 61938
Deadline for inclusion in the next issue is September 30, 2006
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Plan Now for March, 2007 -- Join Illinois LFL in Springfield
Did you know that 2007 will see a milestone in our understanding of the Book of Genesis? In the spring of 2007 the Creation Museum outside of Cincinnati will open. Here for the first time we will be able to see with our own eyes what the world must have been like in those first days of creation when all was "good" and sin had not yet entered the world. Of course the depiction can only be made through our sin-blinded eyes, yet it will as faithfully as possible follow the exact descriptions given in the Bible. The story will be told of sin's entrance into the world. Death, sickness, misery follow -- but always with the promise that one day we will be reunited with God.
This museum, the vision of Ken Ham and the work of Answers in Genesis, will be truly one-of-a-kind.
It is with this opening in mind that Lutherans for Life of Illinois will host a conference on March 24, 2007, at Trinity Lutheran School in Springfield. The theme of the conference will be based on the AIG book War of the World Views. During the course of the conference we will look at a number of humanistic concepts that have corrupted our society. Instead of praising God for the life He has blessed us with, we hear of death as the solution to man's problems. This can be the death of the unborn, the elderly, disabled or ill. It can be destroying life in the name of developing cures or preserving the lives of those who have the resources to pay for needed procedures.
Speakers for the event will include Dr. David Menton, Dr. Alvin Schmidt, Dr. James Lamb and Prof. David Sach. We have asked that students from area Lutheran High Schools introduce the speakers by describing the humanistic view the speaker will be dealing with. The school choruses have also been asked to take part in the entertainment during the day.
Grades 3 - 8 Essay Contest Results for 2006
Over 500 students from 12 schools participated in the essay contest for this age group. It is always a privilege and a joy to read these papers. This year's winning essays follow.
The first place essays were printed in the Northern District's Northern Light as well as other newsletters and in this issue of Life Bulletin.
Lutherans for Life is thankful for the parents, teachers and other adults who have guided these young authors towards looking at these issues from a Biblical perspective.
1st Place - 3rd and 4th Grade
4th Grader
St Paul Lutheran School
Woodworth, IL
God Loves Life
Life is very important to God. Some people make fun of people who can not act the same. But we know God loves all people. Psalm 43:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Only God can take care of us. We should not try to decide if a person lives, that is God’s job. Only God should call people home to him. Ecclesiastes 3:1 ,2 “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-a time to give birth, and a time to die.”
1st Place - 5th and 6th Grade
5th Grader
Zion Lutheran School
Marengo, IL
God’s Gift of Life
Ephesians 6:2-3
“Honor your father and your mother” - which is the first commandment with a promise - “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
In Luther’s Small Catechism, page 73, Martin states that God requires of us in the fourth commandment to honor our father, mother and other authorities by regarding them as God’s representatives. God blesses us with our chilldren, parents, grandparents and authorities, but he, also , gives each of us responsibilities.
The baby comes into this world from God. When the child opens its eyes it see’s the face of Mom and Dad. The first words of the baby are “ma ma” and “da da”. The child laughs, cries, touches and feels. The child learns to crawl, walk, and run. The child is a blessing to the parents. /\s the child grows he or she has responsibilities. The child must learn to listen and obey his or her parents. The child learns the a, b, c’s and the 1,2,3,’s. He or she must learn to take care of toys and to share with his or her brothers and sisters.
Smiles, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, worthiness, self-control, goodness and joy are blessings parents give to their children, their parents and others. Parents have much responsibility. They must take care of their children’s needs, such as good meals and a house to live, play and sleep in. Parents teach their children about God, the gospel and how to pray. They must teach their children to become responsible people, and how to help the less fortunate. They must teach their children to do homework on their own. Parents, also, have responsibility toward their own parents. They must honor their father and mother by taking care of their needs.
Grandparents are a great blessing. They are almost to heaven. They have lots of hugs and kisses for their grandchildren and their children. They know a lot and have lots of stories to tell. They can be counted on to he wise when help needs to be given. Grandparents have a responsibility to stay in the faith. They must let their grandchildren know God and stay with God forever.
Life is God’s gift. Honoring our father and our mother is a blessing and a responsibility, as we grow from being a baby to being elderly.
1st Place - 7th and 8th Grade
Seventh Grader
Salem Lutheran School
Jacksonville, IL
Life is a wonderful thing! Truly a blessing given to us by God for “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) and everything in it. In only five days God filled the earth with plants, animals, land, water, and other things that they needed to survive At the end of each day, God saw that everything that He had made was good. On the sixth day “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him: male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
Indeed, life is truly a wonderful gift for all people. All people are very special to God. It does not matter if a person is tall or short, large or small, black or white, or anything in between. God values life. God tells us this in Jeremiah 1:5 when He says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you.” This means that God knows and loves every person before they are even born. In Isaiah 43:1 God shows us that He loves us as His dear children for God says, “I have called you by name, you are mine.”
A fact of life is not everyone is healthy. Some babies are horn with life-altering diseases or abilities. As we get older, people may become injured, suffer from illnesses, or need assistance from others. None of these things make us any less important to our Father in heaven. He loves us no matter what for we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
Proverbs 3:5 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” It is not for us to understand why God made some people unable to talk, unable to see, unable to walk, or unable to hear. We are to trust in the Lord and accept that He knows what is best for all people. It is not up to us to determine whose life is important; that should he left up to God.
Life here and in heaven is truly a wonderful gift from God. For we know that in life and in death Jesus Christ will abide with us. Hebrews 13:5 tells us that God will never leave us nor forsake us. Thanks be to God!
Another High School Winning Essay
The following essay deals with a subject that is faced by teens and young adults and, indeed, anyone of any age. We live in a humanistic society that would have us believe that "if it feels good -- do it!" For those who have bought into this philosophy there is often despair at ever being able to get it right. Many feel that if they have engaged in the culture's take on morality that there is no going back and they are forever outside of the teachings of the church and of Christianity.
Yet, as Christians, we know that any sin can be forgiven if one is truly ready to repent and to "sin no more." The following essay was chosen because -- it is well written -- but also because it addresses this problem and points the way to redemption and a life style that follows God's plan for all of us -- sexual abstinence outside of marriage.
The author may or may not be speaking from personal experience -- the message is the same and it is just as important and relevant. It is never too late to repent and ask for God's forgiveness and to vow to walk in the way He would have us go.
Abstinence
Grade 12
Any High School
USA
Sex is everywhere. On the radio, rappers brag about the sexual encounters they have had with numerous women, never once becoming infected by a sexually transmitted disease. Beautiful girls on television sleep around without getting pregnant. But that is not reality. According to the Gutmacher Institute, every year three million teenagers will contract a sexually transmitted disease, and one million teenage girls will become pregnant. By telling people that sex is not only amazing but safe every time, the media shies away from these facts. The only 100 percent efficient method of safe sex is abstinence.
I lost my virginity at the age of sixteen. It was not something I planned; it just happened. It was not even with someone I cared that much about, and he was definitely not anybody I was planning on spending the rest of my life with. At the time I thought having sex was no big deal. Everyone was doing it. But now I realize premarital sex is a huge deal. I have to live with the poor spur-of-the-moment decision that I made. I regret not being able to give my future husband the most precious gift of all one day: my virginity.
Fortunately, I did not contract a sexually transmitted disease or get pregnant. But many others who decide to play the risky game of sex do not fare so well. I have a close friend who recently decided to "take the next step" with her boyfriend. To her, that next step meant sex. This poor girl ended up with way more than she had anticipated: gonorrhea. As horrible as this sounds, sexually transmitted diseases are contracted by young adults daily. According to Brown University, by the age of twenty-four, one in three sexually active people will have contracted an STD. If more teens would realize that sex can be dangerous and take a pledge of abstinence, this statistic could have easily been prevented.
I know I have pretty much been talking about how horrible the teenage generation of today is. But not all teenagers have sex. In fact, not only are a growing number of teens choosing to hold off on sex until marriage, but they are becoming more vocal about it, too. Many teens even wear rings or bracelets that symbolize their choice to abstain. Also, non-virgins who regret their decision have new hope. They can become born-again virgins, which is defined as a non-virgin who decides that, from now on he/she is going to abstain from sex until marriage. Although this does not completely erase their past sexual experiences from their mind, it definitely helps to remember that God forgives and forgets even if they don't (NIV). Jeremiah 31:43b says "For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more." This Bible verse really gives hope to the group of born-again virgins. It is very reassuring that some teens today still do have good Christian morals and are not ashamed of it.
The risk of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy are excellent reasons to abstain from pre-marital sex. But abstaining because of what God says is an even better reason. In the sixth chapter of I Corinthians, it says, "Flee from sexual immorality ( . . . ) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" (NIV) Cor. 6:18a, 19a. God intended for people to have sex, but only if they were married. (NIV) I Cor. 7:2 says: "because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband." Many people do not think about what God would want them to do when making the hasty decision to have sex outside of marriage.
Abstaining from sex is the only ultimate guarantee against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. It is hard for teenagers, especially in a generation that is so prevalently sex-driven, to remain virgins until marriage. Many people who make the decison to become sexually active do not know all the facts. If people became more focused on spreading the truth about the high risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, it would make a major impact on teenagers across America. I do not want my generation to be remembered for promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases. We deserve so much more.
Lutherans for Life National Convention -- Cedar Rapids, IA, July 14-16
For the first time the LFL faithful gathered in Cedar Rapids in July instead of November for the National Convention. This was the result of efforts to make the conference more family friendly by including activities the whole family can take part in at a time of the year when families are getting away to vacation together.
"Cherish the Children" was the theme that was developed in many ways throughout the weekend. As Dr. Lamb pointed out -- we cherish the children because God created and cherishes the children and whosoever "welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." Those last two words are the key to this verse from Matthew 18. When we welcome a little child we are welcoming Christ. On the other side -- when we do not welcome a little child, what have we done to our relationship to Christ? What are the results of our turning our backs on Him? Think of all the ways this can happen every day and the prospect is sobering.
The LFL representative in Eastern Europe, Don Richman, was one of the workshop presenters. He told of the struggles of former Soviet bloc countries who have endured fifty years of Communist-athestic domination. Churches are struggling to serve the millions of people who have not heard God's Word preached in their midst for decades. Abortion has become the means of choice for birth control. About two-thirds of all pregnancies end in abortion. Women are consumed with guilt and the complications of post-abortion syndrome. Some have killed as many as 8 of their own unborn children. There is now an aging population without a younger generation to take their place in the businesses and culture of these countries. (In America there are college campuses where abortion is now the preferred method of birth control. Our brightest and most ambitious are often the ones aborting their babies to the detriment of their own and the country's future.)
LFL, LWML and the LCMS among others are offering help to these people. Pastor Richman has seminars, Bible Schools, Life Conferences and rallies throughout the region. His experiences are remarkable and moving. There are opportunities for Americans to help with Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Eastern Europe and in other ways promote the rebirth of Christianity in this region.
Much more could be written about this and about the other breakout sessions but it is not possible in the space and time available. If at all possible you should try to experience a national conference for yourself by coming to Omaha in July of 2007. You won't be sorry.
The Church and Abortion
Lutherans for Life came into existence when people realized the church was failing to address the question of abortion. Some denominations went with the flow and said this was a woman's personal choice. Others just ignored it and hoped the whole thing would go away. Then there are those who see abortion and euthanasia as sensitive questions to be addressed on special days such as Life Sunday. What is the most God-pleasing approach?
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is most certainly pro-life and supports the teachings and goals of Lutherans for Life. But are abortion and euthanasia really difficult topics to be addressed only at certain times in the church year? When we consider the entire message of the Bible and of Christianity this is most certainly not so. God is the Creator of life. He has designed it and assigned a purpose to each and every part of His creation. He loves His created beings so much that His only Son came to live with us, teach us, die and rise again so that we could have our sins wiped clean and go to be with the Father through all eternity. With a message like that can anyone doubt that each life is precious to God? Can we doubt that He will use each life for the ultimate good He has planned for eternity? Can we even for a moment dare to assume that we might know better who should live and who should die? Our entire message to the world is life is sacred, created by God for a purpose and redeemed at great cost. This is the message for every Sunday that cannot be misunderstood.
Embryonic Stem Cell Debates
The whole stem cell debate has been thrust upon us again by the United States Senate and the Presidential veto that followed. Illinois entered the fray when our governor gave another five million dollars of state tax money to this highly touted research that's supposed to give us cures for most diseases that now plague mankind. All we have to do is support research that kills five day old preborns to supply stem cells for experimentation.
President Bush put it very well when he said that the bill he vetoed would create a sub-strata of humans whose lives are expendable in the search for a cure for various illnesses. This is unacceptable.
The media would have us believe that without tax dollars there is no way embryonic stem cell research will be conducted. In fact there is no restriction on embryonic stem cell research that can find private funds. Over the last two or three decades private enterprise has spent millions of dollars on stem cell research and many amazing cures have been found. And there are more on the way.
These "miracles" of science use adult stem cells found in umbilical cord blood and elsewhere in the human body. Every person produces stem cells to replace tissues that wear out or are damaged. We are finding that these cells can be manipulated to replace damaged nerve cells, blood vessels, blood components -- the list goes on and on. More than seventy diseases are today being treated with stem cells -- adult stem cells. Work with embryonic stem cells has consistently found them too unstable for successful human trials.
Those pleading the loudest for millions of your tax dollars admit that it will take decades for results of embryonic stem cell research to even be tested on humans. Private investment will not touch the very expensive, unethical and failed experiments with embryonic stem cells. Why should we be called upon to put more money in a failed endeavor?
More on Stem Cells
Louisville, KY, (LifeNews.com) Just one day after President Bush vetoed a bill funding embryonic stem cell research . . . the University of Louisville reports research showing adult stem cells can mimic the properties of embryonic ones . . . "a lot of people report the presence of embryonic-like cells in adults."
Partial Birth Abortion: A New Review
The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear a second partial birth abortion case, out of the Ninth Circuit, which will put all the issues surrounding partial-birth abortion front and center.
Valedictorian has Speech Censored
Brittany McComb of Foothill High School in Henderson, Nevada, earned the right to speak as validictorian of her high school graduating class. Her submitted speech had references to Christ and the Bible censored and she was told her mic would be cut off is she tried to give her original speech. She used the original and just before she could say "Christ" her mic went dead. "Just like other valedictorians thank their parents, I wanted to thank my Lord and Savior," Brittany said.
National Right to Life Conference, Nashville, TN, June 22-24
The overall message was clear. We are making progress in the abortion battle, but an even larger agenda is fast approaching and that is euthanasia of the elderly and disabled. In our nation we are approaching epidemic numbers through the act and the acceptance of this practice. We seem to believe that the answer to some of life's biggest challenges is death. 41% of Americans polled believe that assisted suicide is acceptable and should be legal. This is the opposite of what the Word of God teaches us. Another huge challenge that seems almost unstoppable is research on embryonic stem cells, even though there has never been any success with this type of stem cell. All medical success with stem cells has been through the use of adult and/or cord blood stem cells. There is a huge movement and millions of tax dollars already committed to furthering the use of embryonic stem cells. We cannot sit silently and let this happen. How will YOU answer God when He asks, "What did you do to stop the killing of the innocents?"
Jeanne Strubbe
LFL of Il Board Member
LFL Students for Life of America
This pro-life campus group began as American Collegians for Life in 1987 at Georgetown University.
Since then the organization has remained focused on its grassroots mission with an annual conference featuring highly recognized pro-life speakers and elections selecting a new set of student leaders for the year.
Laura Puckett, a junior at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte, appreciates the work of Students for Life because she often feels like she is the only person at her college who is pro-life.
"It's a pretty liberal school," she told Family News in Focus. "Everybody's just relativistic, and so everybody just thinks it's your own choice -- it's the woman's body, and it's her right to choose."
Laura is not unique in her situation. "We are agressively looking for funds and for students to start pro-life groups," according to Danielle Huntley, President of Students for Life.
Students for Life has relationships with more than 300 pro-life college groups and hopes to establish 300 more groups this year. If there is a college campus near you watch for ways to help.
LFL of Illinois would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the following for their generous contribution:
Trinity St. Paul Lutherean School -- Worden
We want to thank all the loyal supporters of LFL in ILlinois who have given so generously over the years. You have made so many activities possible. Our costs keep rising, our mailing list grows, and sometimes we wonder where funds to continue operating will come from. We need to have faith that God will provide for the work that still needs to be done. We pray that all of you will continue your support both financially and prayerfully. Without you, LFL can accomplish nothing.
The cost of this mailing will be about $750. There are 3 bulletins a year. Our essay contests cost $3,000. Expenses for conferences where we display our materials total about $4,000 yearly. We count on you.
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